Deposit Required: $500 per person will reserve your place. A $100 service fee will be charged for cancellation at any time in addition to our normal payment and cancellation policy.

Day 1: Depart USA

Overnight flight to Europe.

Day 2: Arrival Munich

Arrival into the Munich airport. Enjoy a tour of the city. Our sightseeing begins with a driving tour of Munich including outside views of the Olympic Stadium, Pinakotheken art museums, Royal Palace (Residenz), National Theater, and the world famous Hofbräuhaus. Take a walking tour of the Marienplatz which lies at the heart of the Alstadt in the city center. This lively, attractive square houses the Gothic New Town hall (Neue Rathaus) with its famous Glockenspiel and the Old Town Hall. We transfer to the Munich hotel for check in and a welcome dinner.

Day 3: Munich, Neuschwanstein

We have some free time this morning to explore Munich on our own. Late this morning transfer from the hotel to the fairy-tale castle, Neuschwanstein Castle. We take a guided tour of Ludwig II's most luxurious former residence where the interior styles range from Byzantine to Romanesque to Gothic. This castle, built between 1869 and 1886, has a most impressive view with the Alpsee Lake below and the Alps towering above. We continue to the Pilgrimage Church of Wies to visit this oval Rococo style church which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. From here we continue to Oberammergau or surrounding area for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 4: Passion Play Performance

This morning we will have some free time to enjoy the delightful village of Oberammergau with outstanding opportunities for photos and shopping. This afternoon and evening we enjoy the Passion Play production. The play depicts the story of Christ's Passion, beginning with the entry into Jerusalem and ending with the resurrection and transfiguration, a moving and spectacular experience. Each performance starts at 2:30 PM (1:30 PM start time after August 17th) and ends approximately 10:30 PM (9:30 PM after August 17th), with a three-hour included dinner break/intermission from 5:00 to 8:00 PM (4:00 to 7:00 PM after August 17th). We stay overnight in Oberammergau or surrounding area.

Day 5: Augsburg, Rothenberg

This morning we travel north to the ancient city of Augsburg, the place where the Augsburg Confession was presented. Our morning drive will allow for time to rehearse this important document and digest the tremendous meaning it has as the basis for much of our doctrine today. It was also here in 1518 at St. Anne's Church that Luther met the papal legate, Cardinal Cajetan, who demanded that Luther submit to the pope. Augsburg was also the site of another Imperial Diet (1530). This afternoon we travel the panoramic "Romantic Road" and visit the best preserved medieval town in all of Europe, Rothenberg ob der Tauber. We see the quaint Rathaus (town hall) with its impressive tower and have free time for coffee and shopping in the many delightful shops. You may choose to visit on your own the Kriminal-museum, housing all manner of Medieval instruments of torture. Overnight in Rothenberg.

Day 6: Heidelberg, Worms, Mainz

This morning we travel to one of the most charming cities in all of the world - Heidelberg, ancient capital of the Palatinate and home of Germany's oldest university. But most importantly, it was a stronghold of German Reformed Protestants beginning in 1560. One of the great confessional statements of the Reformation, the Heidelberg Catechism was produced here in 1563. We tour Heidelberg Castle, a most impressive historic landmark of Germany that stands majestically overlooking the Neckar River. The structure, now largely in ruins, preserves numerous examples of Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque German architecture. Our next stop is in Worms. It was here, during the Imperial Diet in 1521, that Martin Luther challenged the entire Roman Catholic establishment by his refusal to recant the great doctrines of Protestantism. It was also here that William Tyndale completed the printing of his English version of the New Testament in 1525 which he had begun in Cologne. After seeing St. Peter's Church and the symbolic Luther memorial near the town square, we transfer to Mainz. In Mainz we view the Gutenberg Monument and then visit the Gutenberg Museum to learn about printing from the moveable metal type and see a Gutenberg Bible. We overnight in Frankfurt.

Day 7: Coburg, Eisenach

Wasting no time today we immediately set out through scenic Thuringer Wald to view the fortress of Coburg know as Veste, the place of Luther's imprisonment in 1530. Next we visit Eisenach, birthplace of Johann Sebastian Bach. It was here at the formidable Wartburg Castle that Luther, under "house arrest", translated the New Testament into the German language in 1523. We visit the castle and see where Luther spent his time. We end out day in Erfurt for dinner and overnight.

Day 8: Erfurt, Eisleben

This morning we spend time in Erfurt where Luther attended the university. A highlight will be the Augustinian Monastery where he spent his early years as a monk. Leaving Erfurt we visit Eisleben which is noted among the most significant in Luther's history; he was born here in 1483 and died here in 1546 and old manuscripts indicate that he felt a special affinity to Eisleben. We will see the house of his birth and death, St. Andrews Church where he preached his last sermon, the Luther Monument, and St. Anne's Church with the famous Biblical scenes hewn in stone and many other sites. We continue to Wittenberg for dinner and overnight.

Day 9: Wittenberg, Berlin

We continue the Reformation Trail today with a visit to Wittenberg where Martin Luther lived and taught for 36 years. You will see the Castle Church door where Luther posted his 95 Theses, giving birth to the Reformation and the Town Church where he preached. We visit the Luther House which is the greatest museum of Reformation History in the world. This afternoon we transfer to Berlin for a short tour of the Berlin Wall, Brandenburg Gate, and Checkpoint Charlie. Overnight in Berlin.

Day 10: Berlin, Dresden, Prague

This morning we have some free time to explore Berlin on our own. Next we depart southwest for the border of Germany and the Czech Republic. Before arriving at the border we stop for a short tour of Dresden. One of Germany’s most beautiful cities, Dresden was virtually destroyed during the night of 13/14 February 1945, when Allied Forces mounted a vast carpet-bombing raid on the city. We will see the city center where meticulous restoration work is in progress to return the city center to its former glory. We have lunch and free time before traveling south to Prague. Late this afternoon we enjoy River Cruise displaying the famous sights along Prague’s river front.

Day 11: Prague

We enjoy a full day tour of Prague that begins with a panoramic drive through the city introducing the major historical areas of the city center: the New Town & Wenceslas Square, the Old Town and picturesque Mala Strana. Next is the highlight of the trip, a walk through the Prague Castle complex to discover the major sights within; admire the grandeur of Saint Vitus Cathedral, the ancient architecture of the Old Royal Palace, and enjoy stunning views over the whole of Prague. From Prague Castle, we head for the river to walk across the magnificent Charles Bridge. Then we continue on to the Jewish Quarter (Josefov) before ending the tour at the Old Town Square. En-route, we learn the origins of one of the best preserved medieval cities in the world.

Day 12: Budapest

We depart Prague this morning and travel south stopping for free time in beautiful Bratislava on the way. We then arrive in at capital of Hungary, Budapest, also named ‘Paris of the East’ Sightseeing tour this afternoon includes views of the decorative Parliament building, seat of the National Assembly; Vaci Utca, a pedestrian street lined with shops and restaurants; Heroes' Square with the Millennium Memorial, 118 foot high Corinthian column dedicated to the Roman Catholic Church, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Day 13: Budapest – Vienna

Situated on the opposite banks of the Danube River, the former cities of Buda and Pest are linked by a series of graceful bridges. Our morning sightseeing tour includes visit to Castle Hill area with outside views of the Royal Palace, then the Fisherman’s Bastion, a Medieval Castle whose walls were guarded by the guild of fishermen with a remarkable view of the Danube and colorful city. In the afternoon we make our way west entering Austria to the Musical Capital of Vienna. Upon our arrival in Vienna we are transported into the heart of the Habsburg Dynasty.

Day 14: Vienna

This morning following breakfast we visit one of Europe’s most renowned cathedrals, St Stephens. We then have a panoramic city tour viewing Vienna’s most famous historic sights including the Ringstrabe, with its magnificent buildings, the State Opera House, Parliament, etc. We then visit Hofburg Palace, residence of the Habsburgs and home of the famous Spanish Riding School. The highlight of touring today will be a visit to Schöenbrunn Palace and the royal apartments. We then have a final farewell dinner in a local Vienna restaurant.

As a Tour Wholesaler, Pilgrim offers
significant savings on group air travel,
tours, cruises and land packages.
In business since 1987, we offer a wide
variety of international products backed
by a courteous & knowledgeable staff
that is a simple email or phone call away.